Personal accessory comprising a pair of personal devices

ABSTRACT

A personal accessory including a first device such as a money clip, and a magnet mounted on the first device, allowing a second magnetically attracted device such as a cigar cutter or another type of personal device to be removably linked to the first device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to personal accessories, and more particularly afirst device such as a money clip, and with an attachment element suchas a magnet mounted on the money clip, allowing a second personalaccessory, such as a cigar tip cutter device, to be separably attachedto the first device or money clip.

A money clip is a simple inward pinching device in which paper currencyis trapped and held. A money clip typically is a metal or plastic clipwith a support surface and a clip biased against it.

Typically, a money clip is a single purpose article.

A money clip with an additional accessory in the form of a cigar cutteris known in prior art. There are examples of money clips which areattached to cigar cutter instruments to form a unitary structure. Themoney clip and the cigar cutter usually are inseparably attached,although sometimes the cigar cutter may be reorientable with respect tothe money clip, e.g., by a hinge connection between them. However, theremay be occasions when the cigar cutter or money clip are desired to beheld or used independently of the other and occasions when use of one isinterfered with by the presence of the other. However, it is desiredthat they be assembled together as a unit. Further, money clips may beassociated with other articles besides a cigar cutter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is the primary object of the present invention toprovide two personal accessories, which are selectively either heldtogether as a unit or are separated and easily brought together.

It is another object of the invention to attach the two items ofpersonal accessories by use of a magnet on one item that is attracted tomaterial on the other item.

Personal accessories carried in a pocket are preferably compact,comfortable to carry, easy to gain access to, convenient to use, and maybe adaptable to a variety of uses.

For these purposes, the invention provides a first personal accessorycomprising an accessory body, with a first personal device, such as amoney clip, mounted to a first side of the accessory body, a second sideopposite to the first side of the accessory body provides access to alinking device, preferably a magnet, for linking and securing a secondpersonal device to the accessory body. That second device may, forexample, be a cigar cutter.

A recess may be defined in the second side of the accessory body. Thesecond personal device is removably received in the recess in a positiondefined by the shape of the recess and is held therein by a magnetmounted at the recess. The recess and the profile of the second personaldevice having a matching, complementary shape such that the secondpersonal device can be securely held in the recess to provide a completeaccessory while the magnet allows their separation. Further, theprofiles of the recess and the second device may be selected to permitthe second device to be received in the recess in several differentorientations relative to the accessory body. This may be accomplished bythe recess and device both having a complementary symmetrical shape atat least two opposite lateral sides, and preferably having respectivesymmetry along all pairs of opposite lateral sides.

Specific but non-limiting examples of first and second personal devicesare provided below.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following description of embodiments of the inventionwhich refers to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a personal accessory comprising acigar cutter nested in an accessory body according to an illustrativepreferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view showing a money clip on the back side ofthe accessory body;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view showing the cigar cutter nested in the frontside of the accessory body;

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 and 7 are respectively left side, right side, top andbottom isometric views corresponding to FIG. 3;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view corresponding to FIG. 1 showingthe cigar cutter and the front side of the accessory body;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a personal accessory according to analternate embodiment of the invention; and

FIGS. 10-23 show alternative types of second accessories attachable tothe accessory body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Referring to the Figures, and particularly FIGS. 1 and 8, an accessorybody 20 has a personal device such as a money clip 22 permanentlymounted on a back side thereof. The opposite front side of the accessorybody 20 has a large recess 24 shaped for receiving a second personaldevice. In this embodiment, the second personal device is aguillotine-type cigar cutter 10. In the recess 24 there is a magnetholding recess 25.

A permanent magnet 30 is mounted in the recess 25. When the entire cigarcutter 10 is disposed in the recess 24 in the accessory body, the cutteris held there by the magnet 30, which attracts the steel blade 14.

The cigar cutter 10 has a blade 14 slidably mounted in a blade holder16. The cigar cutter blade is of steel, so that when the blade ispositioned in an inactive position, the blade will be above a magnet 30in the magnet receptacle 25 located in the recess 24 and magneticattraction between the magnet 30 in the accessory body and the blade 14of the cigar cutter will hold the cigar cutter 10 securely in the recess24. The holder 16 includes side panels 17 which hold and guide the edgesof the blade and one end 18 with a finger grip by which the holder isremoved from its case 11.

The cigar cutter includes a case 11 with spaced apart front and backsides 13 and 13 b which together with the lateral sides of the case 11define a slide channel and nest 15 in the case for receiving the holder.The front and back sides 13 a and 13 b together have an aligned aperture12 formed by front and back side holes 12 a, 12 b in the respectivesides of the case. The holder 16 is slidable into the nest in the case11 for sweeping the blade 14 across the aperture 12. Inward movementinto the case to the left in FIG. 1 will cut the end or tip of a cigarthat is in the aperture 12. The aperture 12 is positioned so that it isdirectly over the magnet holding recess 25. With the holder 16 fullyinserted in the nest in the case 11 and the cigar cutter thereforeinactive, the blade 14 is disposed over the magnet 30 in the recess 25.

A pair of identical finger grips 17, 18 for operating the cigar cutterare formed at the opposite ends of the cigar cutter, at an end of thecase 11 and an opposite end on the blade holder 16 installed in thecase.

The cigar cutter 10 and the recess 24 in the accessory body 20 haverounded end, generally rectangular and fully symmetrical matchingcomplementary shapes, so that the cigar cutter 10 may be snugly receivedin the recess 24, forming a neat, compact personal accessory.

The cigar cutter 10 is symmetrical about a transverse axis 10′ and alsoabout a longitudinal axis 10″. The recess 24 has the same symmetry.Thus, the cigar cutter 10 can be received in the recess 24 in either oftwo opposite orientations relative to the accessory body 20, improvingthe convenience of use of the personal accessory. To be able to use thecigar cutter while it remains attached to the accessory body, theacceptable orientation is only with the finger grip facing out of therecess in the body to the left in FIG. 8. If all sides of the cigarcutter or second accessary and the recess were identical in size andprofile, then the cigar cutter could be oriented in any of fourpositions relative to the body 20.

Other types of symmetry would facilitate installing the cigar cutter inthe recess in the accessory body. For example, if the cigar cutter issquare, it can be placed in the recess in several differentorientations. Other symmetrical shapes of the cigar cutter holder, suchas circle, ellipse, regular polygon and the like will give similaradvantages.

The second personal device is not of course limited to being a cigarcutter. Some possible alternatives (indicated schematically at 40 inFIG. 9) include and are each shown simply in FIGS. 10-24:

-   -   timepiece (digital or mechanical) and possibly including an        alarm, FIG. 10    -   reading light or flashlight, FIG. 11    -   calculator, FIG. 12    -   container, for example for holding pills, FIG. 13    -   key holder, FIG. 14    -   electronic device such as:        -   digital recorder, FIG. 15        -   personal alarm (panic button), FIG. 16        -   emergency location transmitter, FIG. 17        -   garage door opener, FIG. 18        -   toll-paying or access device, FIG. 19        -   golf score counter, FIG. 20        -   RF tag, FIG. 21    -   card case, FIG. 22    -   lighter, FIG. 23

The second personal device advantageously includes a metallic portionfor being attracted by the magnet 30 in the recess, or the holder of thepersonal device includes the portion attracted to a magnet.

The first personal device is likewise not limited to being a money clip.It could be a belt clip, for example, or any other type of personaldevice such as one of those discussed in the preceding paragraphs.

Although the present invention has been described in relation toparticular embodiments thereof, many other variations and modificationsand other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art.Therefore, the present invention is not limited by the specificdisclosure herein.

1. A personal accessory comprising: an accessory body including a firstmagnet element; a first personal device mounted to a first side of saidaccessory body; a second side opposite to said first side of saidaccessory body having a second magnet element operable in cooperationwith said first magnet element for separably attaching said accessorybody to a second personal device.
 2. The personal accessory of claim 1,wherein said first personal device is a money clip.
 3. The personalaccessory of claim 1, wherein one of said magnet elements is a magnetand the other said magnet element is metal attracted to said magnet. 4.The personal accessory of claim 3, wherein said second side of said bodyhas a recess therein at which said magnet is disposed, said seconddevice having a shape, and said recess having a shape to match the shapeof said second device and thereby defining a space for receiving saidsecond device.
 5. The personal accessory of claim 4, wherein said recesshas a symmetry property, and said second personal device has a symmetryproperty matching that of said recess, whereby said second device may beoriented in a plurality of defined positions in said recess.
 6. Thepersonal accessory of claim 4, wherein said first personal device is amoney clip permanently mounted on said accessory body.
 7. The personalaccessory of claim 3, wherein said second personal device is a cigarcutter having a metallic blade for being attracted by said magnet. 8.The personal accessory of claim 3, wherein said accessory body holds amagnet and said second personal device has a metallic portion for beingattracted by said magnet.
 9. The personal accessory of claim 8, whereinsaid second personal device is one selected from the group consisting ofa timepiece, a light, a calculator, an electronic device, a digitalrecorder, a personal alarm, a location transmitter, a door opener, acounter, a paying or access device, an RF tag, a container, a lighter, akey holder, and a card case.